The Hero of Ages (Mistborn, Book 3)

The Hero of Ages (Mistborn, Book 3)
by Brandon Sanderson

The Hero of Ages (Mistborn, Book 3)
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Book Summary Information

Author: Brandon Sanderson
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-10-14
ISBN: 0765316897
Number of pages: 576
Publisher: Tor Books

Book Reviews of The Hero of Ages (Mistborn, Book 3)

Book Review: A decent conclusion
Summary: 4 Stars

"The Hero of Ages" is the conclusion to Brandon Sanderson's "Mistborn" trilogy, following "The Final Empire" and "The Well of Ascension". Of the three volumes, "The Hero of Ages" is the weakest, though it serves as a decent conclusion to an excellent trilogy.

At the end of "The Well of Ascension", the young Mistborn Vin was tricked into freeing the malevolent godlike being known as Ruin. True to its name, Ruin has been busy spreading death, destruction and despair with gleeful abandon in the year since, while Vin and her husband, Emperor Elend Venture, desperately seek some way to stop it. They are following a series of clues and secret supply caches built by the old Lord Ruler, who was killed by Vin in "The Final Empire". The Lord Ruler had struggled with Ruin for a thousand years, and hid these resources for his followers to use in the event of his death. Other surviving members of Kelsier's crew have split up to confront the most powerful remaining warlords, hoping to convince them to join with Elend and try to deal with the ever-present mists and choking rains of ash that Ruin is using to destroy the world.

The conflict with Ruin, the associated backstory involving Ruin's counterpart Preservation, and the apocalyptic situation all give "The Hero of Ages" a much more mythological and cosmological atmosphere than "The Final Empire" and "The Well of Ascension". The wide-ranging conflict, which scatters groups of characters to distant locations, also contrasts with the earlier books' focus on relatively few characters in a single city. Sanderson seems more comfortable writing stories with cozier settings, and the broader scope also weakens what character development he attempts, which focuses on Sazed and Spook. The story culminates in a conclusion that is far too "deus" for my tastes, and toes the line of what I can stand.

At the same time, "The Hero of Ages" also lacks the compelling hooks that help make the other "Mistborn" books more interesting than standard fantasy fare. "The Final Empire" has the "heist story" framework as well as the backstory of a world in which the Dark Lord had (apparently) defeated the hero of prophesy. "The Well of Ascension" considers what exactly happens after tyranny is overthrown and victory declared. In contrast, "The Hero of Ages" may be Sanderson's most conventional fantasy yet: the world is threatened by a powerful destructive force that the heroes must outwit and overcome.

Even Sanderson's elaborate magic system becomes problematic as the ever-expanding details of the tripartite allomancy-feruchemy-hemalurgy construction multiply to a somewhat unwieldy size. Many of the blurbs that introduce each chapter, which were used to great effect in the other volumes, now need to be omniscient explanations of just what exactly is going on.

"The Hero of Ages" is a decent conclusion to an excellent trilogy, which manages to tie together all three books, and even hints at yet "another secret" lurking beneath the surface. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite rise to the level of its predecessors, the level we've come to expect from Sanderson. I hope the chapter-by-chapter annotations that Sanderson is currently posting on his Web site will shed some light on the reasons why.

Summary of The Hero of Ages (Mistborn, Book 3)

Who is the Hero of Ages?

To end the Final Empire and restore freedom, Vin killed the Lord Ruler. But as a result, the Deepness---the lethal form of the ubiquitous mists---is back, along with increasingly heavy ashfalls and ever more powerful earthquakes. Humanity appears to be doomed.

Having escaped death at the climax of The Well of Ascension only by becoming a Mistborn himself, Emperor Elend Venture hopes to find clues left behind by the Lord Ruler that will allow him to save the world. Vin is consumed with guilt at having been tricked into releasing the mystic force known as Ruin from the Well. Ruin wants to end the world, and its near omniscience and ability to warp reality make stopping it seem impossible. She can?t even discuss it with Elend lest Ruin learn their plans!

The conclusion of the Mistborn trilogy fulfills all the promise of the first two books. Revelations abound, connections rooted in early chapters of the series click into place, and surprises, as satisfying as they are stunning, blossom like fireworks to dazzle and delight. It all leads up to a finale unmatched for originality and audacity that will leave readers rubbing their eyes in wonder, as if awaking from an amazing dream.

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